Determining Wedding Cake Size

How Much Wedding Cake Will I Need?

Cake Size for an LDS wedding cake — Photo Courtesy of Paxman Photography

Picking out your wedding cake colors and style is easy. The hard part is figuring out how much you need. The size, shape, and number of tiers you want all affect the answer to your question: How much wedding cake is enough?

Average Wedding Cake Slice Size

The first thing brides must understand is that a wedding cake serving much smaller than the gargantuan slice of birthday cake you’re probably accustomed to. The standard wedding cake slice size is 2” deep by 1” wide – essentially the size of a pack of cards. Most brides are surprised by how many slices can be cut from one tier of wedding cake, but that is because of the small serving size.

Estimating the Size Wedding Cake You Need

Calculating the right size for your wedding cake is one area where it really pays to work with a professional. An experienced baker has done hundreds of wedding cakes before, and can advise you how much cake you’ll need for your wedding reception guests.

round tiers — Photo Courtesy of Wasatch Studios

But even if you have a professional baker’s advice on your side, you should look at tables like the ones below so you understand how a wedding cake is cut and served. Just remember not to include the top tier if you plan on saving and freezing it for your first anniversary.

How Many Servings Per Tier?

The number of servings in each tier of your wedding cake depends on the shape and size of each tier, so the question of how much wedding cake you need is not always as straightforward as it may seem.

(The tables below are for the standard 1” by 2” slice, so if you want to serve a larger slice you will need to adjust these figures.)

LDS wedding cake size — Photo by Lindsey Hale Photography

For Round Tiers:

Round cake pans come in standard sizes from 6” to 18” in diameter, making the bride’s job at least a little easier in selecting the size of her wedding cake.

Diameter # of Servings
6” 14
8” 25
10” 39
12” 48
14” 77
16” 100
18” 127

For Square Tiers:

How to Determine Size of Wedding Cake — Photo Courtesy of Carly Daniel Photography

Like round pans, square cake pans also come in standard sizes from 8” long to 16” long. There are more slices per tier in a square shaped tier than a round tier.

Length (one side) # of Servings
8” 32
10” 50
12” 72
14” 98
16” 128

Extra Wedding Cake Allowance

Even though you’ve got a firm guest list in your head, know that the number of guests at your reception may be larger than you expect. Some guests who RSVP’d in the negative may decide to show up after all, and others may bring a date when they told you they’d be coming alone.

how to choose a cake decorator — Photography Courtesy of Photos by Wendy G.

And even though it’s not good wedding etiquette to request seconds, you never know which guests might do just that. In order to be prepared, it’s a good idea to have at least 1 extra piece on hand for every 10 expected guests.

Determining your wedding cake size is sometimes frustrating, but it’s easier with tables to help you see the numbers of servings per tier. Choose a baker you can trust – solicit their advice and put their expertise to work. Make sure to round up just in case!